Munich, June 22, 2016 - Today marks the opening of the world's leading exhibition for the solar industry and its partners in Munich. Over the next few days, 1,077 exhibitors are set to present their solutions and innovations from the entire value-added chain of the solar industry. The number of exhibitors has risen by 7% compared with last year, while occupied space at the exhibition has increased by 8.4%. 40,000 international visitors are expected to attend. Up until June 24, 2016, Intersolar Europe and the accompanying ees Europe, the continent's largest exhibition for batteries and energy storage systems, offer visitors the opportunity to talk to experts and exhibitors and find out about the latest products, services and solutions from around the world. With a special exhibit on smart renewable energy and a forum of the same name, this year's exhibitions are focusing very much on the new, digital energy world.

Together with ees Europe, this year's Intersolar Europe has proven to be hugely successful. As early as two months before the start of the exhibition, the exhibition space was already fully booked - a positive sign for the photovoltaics market, and a great achievement for a very special year. 2016 sees Intersolar Europe celebrate its 25th anniversary. The exhibition has continually developed its content over the last few years. One example of this is the addition of ees Europe to provide a prominent platform for the topic of energy storage.

In 2016, Intersolar Europe's latest pioneering development sees it combine the themes of energy management, storage, grid integration and energy management under the key topic of smart renewable energy. Smart technologies that analyze and optimize power generation and consumption as well as interconnect various pieces of technical equipment all help to create smart concepts for managing and storing renewable energy. Visitors to Intersolar Europe can immerse themselves in this world over the next three days in hall B2.

Smart Renewable Energy Forum
The global energy transition is continuing to progress, with many countries already demonstrating success. Germany, for example, met a whopping 87% of its electricity needs with energy from renewable sources on Sunday, May 8. While this is a milestone for the energy transition, it represents a challenge for grid operators. As old power plants in particular are difficult to regulate, such times cause a surplus of energy in the grid, resulting in negative electricity prices. Taking place until Friday, the Smart Renewable Energy Forum at Intersolar Europe will be presenting solutions for overcoming this challenge. Wednesday is dedicated to the topics of optimizing on-site consumption for households and businesses. On Thursday, the forum will focus on digital networking and integration, while model regions will be presented on Friday.

Intersolar AWARD
Intersolar Europe kicks off today with a special highlight. This year marks the ninth time the Intersolar AWARD will be presented in the category of Photovoltaics. Each year, the submissions act as a trend barometer for the industry. This year's applicants have highlighted the entire range of potential solar energy applications. 2016 also brings with it an Intersolar AWARD debut. For the first time, winners will also be selected in the category of Outstanding Solar Projects. The winners of the coveted award will be announced this Wednesday at 4:30pm at the Innovation and Application Forum (hall A2, booth A2.530), where visitors have until 3:45pm to see the finalists present their products and projects.

Highlights of the exhibition forums
Thursday's focus will be on the operation & maintenance of PV installations and see SolarPower Europe present its corresponding Operation and Maintenance Guidelines (room B12 accessed through hall B1 - for media representatives). Visitors can also learn about the topic at the Innovation and Application Forum starting at 10:30am.
Following the tremendous success enjoyed in 2015, the Off-Grid Power Forum will also take place this year, featuring interesting presentations and discussions surrounding off-grid energy supply in developing and emerging countries. From financing through energy supply on islands to storage, the three exhibition days will shed insights into essential topics relating to off-grid energy supply.

Intersolar Europe Conference
The Intersolar Europe Conference has been running at the ICM - Internationales Congress Center München since June 21. The conference picks up and consolidates the topics of the exhibition, shedding light on the latest trends, state-of-the-art applications and the future of international markets. The main topics discussed yesterday were financing, the operation and maintenance of PV installations and the presentation of different PV regions. This Wednesday, the conference will once again shine the spotlight on financing models, digital networking and smart renewable energy.

Parallel event - ees Europe
This year, ees Europe, the continent's largest exhibition for batteries and energy storage systems, is taking place in parallel to Intersolar Europe for the third time. Here, 213 battery and energy storage manufacturers are set to showcase their products and services - representing an increase of 35% compared with last year. Together with Intersolar Europe, which takes place at the same time, an impressive 369 of the total 1,077 exhibitors are presenting energy storage solutions. The growing significance of this topic is showing no signs of abating, since as the proportion of electricity generated from renewable sources continues to increase, so too does the need for energy storage devices to absorb peaks in production and relieve the load on the power grid. The special exhibit Wind meets Solar and Storage (hall B2, booth B2.131) looks at how an intelligent interplay of PV installations, wind turbines and energy storage systems can shape the future of our energy supply, while the special exhibit entitled E-Mobility & Renewable Energy (hall B1, booth 190) highlights the role of electric cars in the future power grid.

Intersolar Europe 2016 takes place from June 22-24, 2016 at Messe München.

Further information on Intersolar Europe can be found at www.intersolar.de/en

Partners of Intersolar Europe
Intersolar Europe is supported by the leading solar industry associations: the German Solar Association (BSW-Solar) as an exclusive partner, the German Solar Energy Society (DGS), SolarPower Europe (formerly EPIA), the European Solar Thermal Industry Federation (ESTIF), the International Solar Energy Society (ISES), SEMI (Europe), and the platform for photovoltaic production equipment within the German Engineering Association (VDMA-PV).

About Intersolar
With events spanning four continents, Intersolar is the world's leading exhibition series for the solar industry and its partners. It unites people and companies from around the world with the aim of increasing the share of solar power in our energy supply.
Intersolar Europe is the world's leading exhibition for the solar industry and its partners. It takes place annually at the Messe München exhibition center in Munich, Germany and focuses on the areas of photovoltaics, energy storage and renewable heating, as well as on products and solutions for smart renewable energy. The accompanying Intersolar Europe Conference consolidates selected exhibition topics and showcases international markets, financing and pioneering technologies. Since being founded, Intersolar Europe has become the most important industry platform for manufacturers, suppliers, distributors, service providers and partners in the global solar industry.
With 25 years of experience, Intersolar has the unique ability to bring together members of the solar industry from across the world's most influential markets. Intersolar exhibitions and conferences are held in Munich, San Francisco, Mumbai, São Paulo and Dubai. These global events are complemented by the Intersolar Summits, which take place in emerging and growing solar markets worldwide.

In 2016, ees Europe, Europe's Largest Exhibition for Batteries and Energy Storage Systems, takes place in parallel to Intersolar Europe for the third time. Together with the accompanying ees Europe Conference, the exhibition covers the entire value chain of innovative battery and energy storage technologies.

For more information on Intersolar Europe, please visit: www.intersolar.de/en

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